


When You've Got Trouble.

by shipsbecomearmadas



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Family, Friendship, Gen, Support, pre-Swan Queen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-12
Updated: 2015-05-12
Packaged: 2018-03-30 05:09:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3924061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shipsbecomearmadas/pseuds/shipsbecomearmadas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Summary: The evening Emma learns of her parent’s secret, she seeks refuge in the only place she feels safe.  </p><p>This story takes place after “Heart of Gold”.   The story was inspired by the following:  Liz Longley’s “When You’ve Got Trouble”. This story is meant to be a one shot, unless, you lovely readers wish for it to continue. I hope you enjoy it.</p><p>Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, simply borrowing them and taking them for a spin.  They sadly belong to OUaT.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When You've Got Trouble.

Hues of magenta, orange, and purple decorated the evening sky. It was just past six o’clock when she showed up on the porch, the toe of her boot worrying at the floor. Taking a deep breath to gather what courage she had, she raised her fist to the door and knocked.  Her teeth worried at her bottom lip while she waited, which was not long before she heard a surprised voice.

“Emma…?”

She gave the brunette a shy, self-deprecating smile.

“I know that it’s dinner time and I should have called first. But….maybe I…..”

She mumbled because she was unsure why she was asking for Regina’s help. If she was completely honest with herself, she knew why she was asking for the brunette’s help. What she didn’t know was how to phrase what she needed help with. That’s why before she could think better of it she had shown up unannounced and muttering something not quite coherent at Regina’s front door.

Regina studied the blonde’s behavior, her own temper and mind taking in the insecure scuffing of the boot, how Emma kept her head lowered as she spoke. She was scared and hurt. That much was clear. What had caused it, now there lie the the question. If that idiot pirate did or said something that hurt Emma… her mind and temper racing already as she thought of how she would deal with the leather mascot. She took a deep breath to center herself as brown eyes continued to drink in the loneliness that danced all over the blonde. Emma needed a place to get away to and had shown up here, on her front porch. Regina nodded understandingly and turned, walking back towards the kitchen and leaving the door wide open for Emma to enter, expecting her to simply do as instructed.

   
“Please come in, dear. We just sat down to dinner. I’ll grab another setting and meet you in the dining room." She smirked good-naturedly, "We are having your favorite.”

Emma was slightly taken aback by Regina's casual manner, but then she shrugged and did as she was asked, kicking the door closed behind her. They had become friends, after all, and there was no need to stand on formalities anymore.

“I do love your lasagna. Did you also make garlic bread? It smells delicious.”  
  
Just as she sat down at the table across from Henry her stomach growled, the scents of the delicious meal waking it up. She had been in a hurry to get away from her parents after learning of their secret and dealing with the events of the day. The magnitude of what they had done to Maleficent’s child along with their deception towards her weighed heavily on her heart, compelling her to simply run away from them. She had fleetingly considered turning to Killian, but then dismissed the thought just as quickly as it came. He would want to advocate for her parents or worse, talk about their relationship. She couldn’t handle dealing with the pirate in her current emotional state.

Before she knew it, Emma had sought safety in the only place where she subconsciously knew she would find it.

Regina had set a plate with a healthy serving of lasagna in front of her, and offered, “Would you like a glass of red wine, Emma?”

A nod of her head was the only response since her mouth was now occupied with a rather big bite of the delicious pasta. The flavors were bursting in her mouth thanks to the red pepper flakes Regina was famous for adding to the dish. Her eyes closed, a deep moan of appreciation escaping her lips.

The throaty chuckle from Regina and an eye roll from Henry helped her relax just a bit. It made this dinner seem rather normal, instead of what it truly was, which was anything but. She took a sip of her wine as she listened to Henry talk about his day at school. Every once in a while Regina would reply with a comment about the subjects he was presently studying, and inquired about homework as their meal came to an end.

Henry was far more attuned nowadays to his mothers' unspoken feelings. Sensing Emma’s need for a private adult conversation with his mom, the kid cleared his place and hugged them each good night, claiming he still needed to finish up some reading and would then head to bed. They each returned the hug, gave him a kiss and together saw him head upstairs.

Not for the first time Emma was glad that their son possessed that ability to read people and know what they needed from him. He certainly had learned that from his brunette mother.

They finished clearing the table, heading towards the kitchen in companionable silence. Before Regina could say anything, Emma began to wash the dishes by hand. While it was not odd for the blonde to help with the clean-up, she was usually the one who dried and put away, making her choice to wash dishes completely out of character. It was this action that confirmed Regina’s suspicions. The young woman was clearly distressed.

Still, they finished the dishes in amicable silence. When the blonde showed no signs of wanting to leave, Regina decided to offer her an excuse to wait until she was ready to talk. At least once Henry was asleep she could question the blonde about what was troubling her.

“Would you like a glass of apple cider, Emma or would you prefer something stronger?”

“Something stronger please. Maybe some whiskey?”

“Of course, dear.”

Brown eyes had noticed how the blue-green ones kept avoiding them. It seemed to be a theme tonight. This constant avoidance was something that deeply troubled Regina because she was used to Emma’s gaze always meeting her own with open honesty. It would be up to her to get Emma to open up and for that she would need liquor. Regina reached for two tumblers and the decanter of whiskey. She poured the amber drink into their glasses, set the decanter back in its place, then moved with glasses in hand to the living room. Setting each on a coaster on the coffee table, she took her usual seat at one end of the white leather couch. Emma followed, and sat in the middle rather than in her usual spot at the other end.

She knew she would need to pace herself if she was going to wait out for the blonde to open up. She was nursing her glass of apple cider. She sat facing the blonde, her back partially towards the arm rest, her feet under her as she got comfortable to wait for the silence to break.

Regina kept her expression neutral as her eyes took in every detail before her. Emma was hunched over shoulders slumped more than usual as her forearms rested on her legs just above the knees red leather jacket still on and the same for her boots. The crystal tumbler held between hands that simply played with the amber liquid within it blue- green eyes tracking the swirling movements with an unfocused gaze.  It reminded Regina of the first time they had sat in her study, back when they were engaged in a war for Henry.

Could that idiot pirate be capable of inspiring so much emotion within Emma? Could she handle listening to Emma be so heartbroken over that man? What if it was due to the two idiots she had for parents? Surely it was not about the secret they confided in her. If Emma knew about that, certainly she would know that she had kept that secret from her at her mother’s request. She would have sought comfort with Killian and not here.  Was she here to confront her, might that be the reason why she had been avoiding her eyes or looking in her general vicinity?

The longer Emma remained enveloped in her silence, her inner turmoil, the more Regina’s mind raced. She decided to take a generous drink of her cider to still her mind. She noticed a blonde eyebrow raise, Emma’s head slightly tilted with her gaze barely on Regina. Still it was the most face to face contact they shared all night. It’s some form of progress.  She would take it. She saw Emma tip the tumbler back and drain its contents and shivered as she set the glass down. The side glance that she gave Regina had the brunette getting up and heading towards her study. There would probably be a second and third serving of the fiery liquid before their conversation was over. 

As she was walking back to the living room, she heard Emma’s voice clearly upset. Based on her conversation, she assumed that she was talking to Snow.  Her eyes sought out Emma the moment she entered the shared space. There were tears in those blue-green eyes. It was enough to make Regina see red. She refilled Emma’s tumbler handing it over and holding out her hand with a raised eyebrow. Emma traded the drink for her phone, sitting back down with a defeated air around her.

“Emma, I’m your mother. I’m just worried about you. You left without letting me explain, now you are not here for dinner.”

Snow’s whining tone sent Regina back in time to every single time the girl would use that same tone on her father causing Regina some measure of unknown pain.

“Snow. Emma is safe, she came over for din-“

“No, I do not know what is wro-“

Snow’s constant interruptions sent her over the edge causing her to use her Mayoral tone.

“If you continue to interrupt me, I will hang up. I do not know what or if anything is wrong. She has not confided in me. She did have dinner with Henry and I like she does on occasion even when it is not our scheduled family dinner night. Since it is late and we’ve had a few drinks, I’ll have her stay the night. She can call you in the morning. Good night, Snow.”

An aggravated sigh escaped plump lips as Regina hung up the phone, thought about it for a second pressing a button for a little longer than needed. She had noticed Emma finish her second glass of scotch while she was talking to the blondes annoying mother. Why that woman had chosen to be a mother all over again while she continued to resemble a petulant child, was beyond comprehension.  Emma had already refilled her glass when Regina handed her the phone. Brown eyes full of concerned understanding as they held on to blue-green ones. Emma noticed her phone was not powered off. She gave Regina a crooked smile, noticing the slight nod the brunette offered her while resetting herself on the couch.

“It’s just that…” Emma sighed defeated. “They think that they are exempt from consequences just because they are the heroes.”

Her voice dripped with disdain at the word that she heard her parents use so cavalierly when referring to themselves.

“They think that the term good doesn’t have to be earned. They have made careless mistakes before. Immature choices, but to decide the fates of two unborn children just to selfishly burden their own child with the title of “Savior”, condemning both infants to a life of pain just because they feel entitled to a “happy life without struggles.” 

Tears were flowing freely down the blonde’s cheeks. She wiped at them angrily with the back of one hand, the other reaching for her drink. She took a drink to steady herself.

“My mo….Snow’s decision to use Maleficent’s child as a vessel for evil is what caused me to be “The Savior” this is what caused me to grow up without a family, feeling like I did not fit that title that was thrust upon me. It’s a burden, it’s so heavy. She did that.”

She took a deep breath followed by the emptying of her glass. She turned to face Regina, seeking out her eyes for the first time in the last four hours. The rest came out in a rant, her voice dropping into quieter tones, turning the statements into a confession of sorts with her hushed tones.

“Then, Snow expected me to simply forgive her by sayingshe is my mother.  Like somehow that erases that her selfishness, her desire to turn me into her idea of the perfect daughter is what caused me to spend my life feeling like I was not good enough.  Except now I know that me, being myself would never be good enough for her. How am I supposed to just go back there and be around them. How do I face them. They are my parents. They loved me and now, I am a lost girl again because everything I thought they loved about me, is not true because she then confided in you, trusted you with their secret while lying to me constantly when I would ask if they knew why Maleficent was back.”

A quiet sob wracking through her body.  Emma’s voice was a mere whisper and Regina almost missed her final confession.

 “I will never be the daughter they dreamed of, I will never be enough for them.” 

Regina broke as the last word choked its way out of pale thin lips. She wrapped her arms around Emma as tight as the young woman would allow her to. Attempting to hold together all of the pieces that were crumbling within Emma.  The young woman sinking into her, head on her shoulders and a hand fisting her sleeve as she came undone. Those two idiots had finally broken their daughter. Refusing to see her, to accept her for the beautiful woman that she was. Though she craved giving into her anger towards the Charmings, Regina took a steadying breath to focus on the woman in her arms allowing all of the feelings the young blonde inspired to surface.

Feeling Regina exhale was all the awareness Emma needed to realize she had allowed herself to break down in front of her. She tensed slightly in Regina’s arms pulling herself slightly away from the warmth and comfort of Regina’s soothing hug. She couldn’t stop her mind from thinking just how lucky Henry is to experience this kind of acceptance, support and comfort without having to ask for it. 

She felt a slight pang of guilt again at how her arrival and actions had at some point helped to drive a wedge between the brunette mother and their son. She shrugged off the feeling. The freedom to move making her aware that Regina was no longer holding her. A fact that she welcomed and mourned simultaneously.

“Why don’t you stay in the guest bedroom, Emma? You’ve had quite a bit to drink since you have single handedly managed to finish the rest of my scotch.” “

“I-I-I….I don’t want to….”

Regina held up a hand to stop Emma’s feeble protest.

“I’m sure Henry would enjoy having you stay for breakfast.” 

“Will you be making your apple pancakes?”

Emma stifled a yawn as she began to follow Regina upstairs. Somehow, the brunette mother of their son simply knew how to take care of people even when they didn’t. That was how Emma found herself agreeing to spend the night in the guest bedroom of the mansion without realizing it.

Upon entering the guest bedroom only to realize that at some point, due to the many sleepovers she’d had over the years Regina had simply converted the guest bedroom into “Emma’s Room”.  She found a set of flannel pajama pants and a new tank top to match in her size were neatly folded at the foot of the bed. She wasted no time in changing out of her skinny jeans and button down and into the sleep wear.

The en suite in her room was stocked with her favorite hair products, brand of toothpaste, a new toothbrush, and towels. She smiled taking in the items and recognizing the gesture for what it was, an unspoken token of friendship.

She finished in the en-suite, turned down the bed and laid down. The effects of the alcohol combined with being emotionally drained made for a powerful cocktail. She was asleep the moment she snuggled under the covers. 

Regina was getting ready to turn off her bedside lamp when she heard what seemed to be whimpers. Whimpers that she did not recognize. Her maternal instinct being stronger than any other part of her, she rushed quietly to check on Henry. Being quiet as to not disturb him, she opened the door to his room just wide enough for her head to fit through. Her not so little prince was sleeping soundly with one leg half off the bed and the covers askew. She shook her head at the sight, drinking in the feel of having him home again for a few precious seconds.

The whimpering sounds slowly escalating in volume, she left Henrys room after closing the door behind her. There was only one other person who could be the cause of the noise. Regina tisked at the realization that Emma had left her bedroom door wide open. Of course she would. She was used to a loft style bed. She made her way to bed quietly coming to stand beside the bed on the side closest to the sleeping blonde.

She was crying in her sleep.

Emma was on her side curled up into a little ball. Making herself as small as she could, surprising Regina with her success as tears raced one another down pale cheeks some coming to crash on blonde tresses while others did so on the pillow case.

Regina was torn. Part of her thinking to reach out to the woman to coax her awake gently. Instinctually she knew that would only backfire. Emma would feel embarrassed by the fact that she had been caught crying yet again by her.

It was when she was climbing onto the bed on the opposite side that she realized what she was doing. Regina’s body had simply decided to get into bed to comfort this child like Emma sending the commands needed and her body had responded. She had recognized what Emma was subconsciously attempting to do having fallen asleep in the same position herself many times when she was young. Emma was breaking to pieces and fighting against it.

She closed her eyes, took a steadying breath, she laid down near the blonde facing her, making sure not to touch her. She kept her eyes closed as words escaped her lips. Regina was carried to a different time as the words passed her lips. One when her little boy would have similar difficult nights. His sleep assaulted by some unknown monster.

“You've been kicking in your sleep, tossing and turning relentlessly  
and i know you'd be lying if you told me you were fine.  
And you've been screaming in your head.  
Swallowing the words that I know you would've said,  
if you'd just breathe….”

Regina opened her eyes when she noticed that the only sound in the room was that of her voice. The whimpering has subsided even though the tears still flowed. Of course it would sooth the blonde. It had always worked for Henry even as an infant.  A smirk tugged at the corners of her mouth. One that she could not contain as the all too familiar words resonated in the room.

“…So what, what, what do you need,  
I will kiss you awake when you’ve had a bad dream,  
or tell you a story make it up as I go,  
or I'll sing you a song that I know that you know, it goes…”

Emma’s breathing had evened out. Her cheeks were free of the translucent offenders though their stains were still visible. She decided to finish  and then she would go to her bed. If Emma was like Henry, and the fact that this was working on them rather similarly, she knew that if she stopped now, the tears would return.

“…You and I live like the tree and the vine,  
Oh, my darling, we’re so delicately intertwined.  
I’ll ease your pain 'cause you've eased mine.

All my heart, my heart is tangled all around you

When you've got trouble, I've got trouble, too

All my life is arm in arm with you

When you've got trouble I've got trouble, too.” 

 She made to get up from the bed when a heavy hand held on to hers. A sleep talking Emma simply said something that sounded like “again” and “so pretty.” She scowled in the blonde’s direction. Leave it to Emma Swan to be demanding even in her sleep. The fact that she talked in her sleep, well, that was information that Regina filed away in her brain to determine the best way to use it in her favor later.

 “Only once more Ms. Swan, then I will be going to sleep.”

“skay R’gina”

Emma mumbled as response. Were it not because she knew that Emma was sound asleep due to the events of the previous night, Regina would have sent her flying across town to her apartment for shortening her name. Several deep breaths later, the words found themselves filling the space in the room.

As the last lines were coming up, Regina carefully removed herself from Emma’s bed. The words had died just as bare feet padded out the door into the hallway. She left it open so that she could keep an ear out for Emma.

Her alarm startled her out of her sleep. Emma felt rested. She was humming something that she could not quite place as she went about the business of getting ready for the day.

After exploring the dresser drawers, she found them empty. With a shrug, she donned her clothes from the previous night. She could always swing by the apartment to change fast enough so that neither Killian nor her parents could catch her there.

The scent of apple pancakes, coffee, and-was that bacon-assaulted her senses. Her alarm had been the culprit in waking her up, the smells wafting up from downstairs were the culprits for the loud noise her stomach made. She rushed down to the kitchen unaware that she continued to hum the little tune.

Regina silently handed Emma a cup of coffee already fixed to the blonde’s taste signaling with her own for Emma to take a seat at the island. Emma didn’t need to be asked twice. She took her seat across from a plate that contained the famous pancakes and dug in with gusto. Her eyes closed of their own volition causing a soft moan to escape from her as the flavors of sweet apples, cinnamon, and pancake enveloped her mouth. When she opened her eyes, she was met with a dark amber gaze framed by a single raised eyebrow. Breakfast was spent by all three in companionable silence. Regina glanced at the clock on the microwave that read 7:30. Henry’s bus would be at the bus stop in 15 minutes.

 “Henry, you need to go brush your teeth and gather your things, it’s almost time to go meet your bus, dear.”

 Henry scarfed down the last few bites on his way to place his dirty dishes in the sink, then disappeared upstairs to do as instructed by his mother.

 The silence was heavy in the kitchen with it being just the two women there. Regina took a steadying breath, deciding to deal with questions in her mind head on. Before she could speak, Emma beat her to it.

“You made apple pancakes. I didn’t think you would. They were amazing. The whole breakfast thing was amazing.”

 Regina notices the smile on Emma’s lips reaches her eyes for the first time in the last 24 hours. The corners of her mouth upturned of their own volition at the realization.

  
“Thank you. So…you’re not angry at me? For keeping your parent’s secret?”

 “That’s between me and them. You were only trying to help.” 

 Emma took a deep breath and elaborated in a barely there whisper.

 “I also couldn’t go to Hook, he would want to talk about us or advocate for them and I just….” She shrugged the rest of the sentence off.

 Regina nodded slightly understanding that the last thing that Emma needed was to be overwhelmed with guilty parents or an insecure boyfriend. She needed a place to breath where she could feel safe. An overwhelming sense of pride burst forth when she realized that place was her home. Emma felt safe in her home.

 “Moms we need to go or I’m going to be late.”

 Henry was standing by the front door impatiently waiting for his mothers. He didn’t want to be late to school and have that be the cause of a fight between them after having a great morning.

 Emma was the first to reach him by the door, still humming the tune she somehow remembered from her sleep.

 “How did you learn that song? It’s not on your iPod. Did Mom teach it to you?”

 Just then Regina caught up to them both, opening the door and holding it open for the other two to exit the house so she could lock the door.

 Henry was already in the Mercedes when Emma, still walking down the path towards the front of the house where she had parked her bug turned and asked.

 “Hey, what did Henry mean when he asked me if you taught me that song? How does he know that tune I’m humming?”

 Regina blushed slightly knowing that her answer would be rather revealing.

 “I used to sing it to Henry when he would have nightmares.”

 Emma allowed that information to sink in.

 Just as she got into the Mercedes, Regina called back over her shoulder.

“Dinner will be ready at six pm sharp and I expect you to be on time in case you were planning on having dinner with us again.”

Regina let those words sink into the Emma’s head as well. “Stay as long as you need” was the unspoken understanding that passed between them. Matching radiant smiles being the last thing they saw as they left the house to start their day.

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Note: This is my first fanfic for the SQ fandom and my second fanfic ever. All mistakes are my own and I apologize for them beforehand. 
> 
> I would like give a very big “Thank you” to heretherebeangst and morganfm who were kind enough to beta this story. Not all of it has been edited due to my impatience. All mistakes are my own.


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